Good conditions. Good hard firn up to the "Gurgel" were we put on the rope. From there in good ice conditions we partly simul-climbed with four belay points on the way to rest and exchange gear. Start at Tabaretta Hut 4am, summit 10am back in Sulden 4pm.
Long and nervy descent via Payer Hut and Tabaretta Hut.

we had quite cloudy and snow weather, but the climb was very nice - I enjoyed it very much. We stayed at bivac and went down normal route second day - the weather totally changed overnight so we could enjoy the perfect view..

Dan P. and I climbed the North Face in a long but rewarding day. We had whiteout conditions on the summit, unfortunately, and some excitement using map and compass to find our way north on the normal route.

We ascended Ortler via normal route with the base at Tabarettahuette with the club Euthanasia (www.euthanasia.cz). We ascended it on the same day, as was the 204th anniversary of the first ascend on Ortler. We had cloud inversion and saw brocken spectre of ours at Tschirfeck part. I just came, happy to be back alive. Snow made the ridge very tricky and a one guy in our group could have paid with his life for it. I'm too tired to write more or to post photos. You will have to wait some days/hours to see them.

Climbed the Ortler from Sulden with a nightstop at the payer hut in 2 days. nice weather and a beatiful trip with good friends.
more at http://www.martinhupfauf.com/wordpress/?p=763 (sorry, only in german) and more pictures at http://www.martinhupfauf.com/fotoalbum/2008/2008-08-02%20Hochtour%20Ortler/index.html

Very impressive but long trip. "Bianco ridge" in upper part had almost vanished. However, glacier descent astonishingly ok albeit non-freezing temperatures at 4000m 24h per day, and blank glacier with thick waterfalls close to the track.

Yet another defeat...
I "guided" two beginners with whom I first met on a glacier-travel course, and my best meteo-friend also came along.
The weather was supposed to be fine, so we started from Sulden, and slept in Payerhütte. In the morning we got up late, started late, after everybody, and progressed very slowly on the technical parts of the ridge, because the two guys were inexperienced in free climbing. I didn't use the rope because the lack of anchor points and intermediate belays, we had no rock climbing equipment. The snow was melted already when we reached the glacier. All parties coming down the mountain told us its too late! After that, my friend fell into a crevasse, but it was no big, and on the glacier we were roped up, so there was no problem, he climbed out quickly.
Some 250 meters below the summit the two guys stopped and said they won't go any further, the storm is coming, it's late, time to turn around. Meteo guy sayed go ahead, there will be no problem! By this time big clouds were gathering around the summit. We could not persuade the two guys, so we turned around. When we arrived to the most exposed part of the ridge, I belayed everybody down to a fixed ring above a small but difficult step, and tied the rope in. Then wind came and rain and hail began to fall, and my ixe axe began to sound on my backpack. I was getting nervous. Told everybody to hurry up. And then the sky sounded and I felt ourselves in a big piece of shit. I said it can't be... We can't suck a big storm here on the ridge... Meteo-guy said: keep calm, it will go away! We quickly continued descending, and indeed, the storm went away, stopped raining so finally we got down to Payerhütte with no problem. The two guys left their ice axes on the top of the chain-assured part because they were so scared of lightning. Anyway, the axes were made of aluminium, and they were not sounding...
Next time... via Hintergrat, or maybe Nordwand.